That's really sad. It's the end of an era for drivers.
Perhaps the CB makers will spring up with hands free CB, to
fill the need.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"radioguy" wrote in message
...
CB radio and ham radio has recently been outlawed in
Ontario, Canada
as part of the cell phone ban while ddriving. No, this is
not another
case of vagurly or broadly worded law. This was deliberate.
And if it
can happen in Canada, which it did, it can also happen in
the U.S

Notice the CB and ham radio excuse of using microphones
being safer
doesn't hold any water with the government lawmakers: And
I've seen
the same similar description elsewhere of lawmakers in the
U.S. saying
two way radios are even more dangerous than cell phones
because of all
the buttons and dials and cord on the microphone which has
to be hand
held.

Where do they get this stuff?

CBs and ham radios have been being used mobile since at
least the 60's
and in the 50 years since then, I've never heard of any
accidents
caused by people talking on the radio in tthe U.S., even
when the CB
craze was at it's height with more people on CBs than are
now on cell
phones.

At first glance, I thought this also outlawed frs/gmrs. At
second
glance, it looks like they will still allow frs.gmrs. At
third glance,
I can't tell if they're permitting frs/gmrs or outlawing it.

"According to the Ontario Trucking Association, the
government plans
to phase out CBs and similar UHF/VHF radios over the next
three years"

"Officials insist CBs present a particular challenge since
the
receiver and communications unit are separate from each
other and
connected by a cord"


"TORONTO - It's enough to make CW McCall switch to singing
the blues.

Ontario's ban on hand-held cell phones, texting and other
communication devices while driving kicks in on October 26,
and
surprisingly, the government has included truckers' Citizen
Band
Radios (CBs) and similar types of two-way radios in the ban.

According to the Ontario Trucking Association, the
government plans to
phase out CBs and similar UHF/VHF radios over the next three
years,
assuming that two-way, hands-free technologies are developed
within
that time. The OTA says that the Ministry could extend that
timeframe
should no suitable technology be readily available to
replace CBs.

Officials insist CBs present a particular challenge since
the receiver
and communications unit are separate from each other and
connected by
a cord.

The pending Ontario ban on CB radios appears to be the only
one of its
kind in North America.

The law, which passed earlier this year, officially takes
effect on
October 26, where the focus will be on educating drivers.
Police will
start issuing tickets on February 1, 2010 for
non-compliance.

The set fine for talking without hands-free setting or
Bluetooth while
driving has yet to be determined before that date. However,
the fine
range permissible for this offense is between $60 and $500.
Reportedly, demerit points will not be handed out for
violations.

There are some accommodations for the commercial sector,
however,
including permanent exemptions for satellite, navigation,
collision
avoidance and other fleet management systems for the viewing
of
logistical information on a display as long as the vehicle
is not in
motion and the device is not held in hand.

The same goes for hand-held push-to-talk devices, hand mics
and walkie-
talkies, which are popular in short-haul and vocational
applications
especially.

Just as the law applies to standard cell phones,
push-to-talk devices
can only be used while driving if they are mounted or
secured to the
vehicle and is easily accessible and activated by one press
of a
button. It cannot be hanging from the roof of the cab or
dashboard.

OTA played a big part in winning some exemptions. Before the
finishing
touches were made to the law, MTO officials were taken to
trucking
companies to witness the need of such technology in daily
operations.

The OTA supported the intent and the principle of the law.
It says the
final version "is directionally appropriate."

"We support the hand-held cell-phone ban and believe that
the Ministry
has made reasonable accommodation for most of the other
hand-held
devices used by industry that serve an important business
purpose."

However, Bradley concedes that the three-year phase-out of
hand-held
CBs is likely to draw the attention of many truck drivers.

"Given the still pervasive use of these devices in the
industry, I
expect there could be push-back from some truck drivers," he
said. "In
many respects the CB is not only an important part of the
truckers'
social network, but it is also an important safety device in
its own
right."



http://www.myettnews.com/2009/10/ove...des-cb-radios/

Stormin Mormon wrote:

That's really sad. It's the end of an era for drivers.


Hardly, just the end of holding a microphone in one hand
and driving with the other. And only in that part of the
world. Hands-free options have been about for years, but
we have not been forced to use it.


Perhaps the CB makers will spring up with hands free CB, to
fill the need.


VOX equipment has been around for decades. Now TTI manufacture
a hands-free device.

The problem may be marketing. CB is now a small market, so
manufacturers do not push their products like other companies do.
There is no money for high impact advertising, so I guess that
many people do not know about the options available. That
appears to include the law-makers, who have left a period for
adjustment in the belief that there are no hands-free options
for CB.

So truckers can continue to hold the microphone in one hand and
a Yorkie bar* in the other, steering with their elbows. The only
reason for hands-free kit is that they have run out of hands to
operate the mobile phone with :~)


BTW: The Canadian law also allows police and other emergency
services to continue to combine driving with using the radio.
Clearly it's not dangerous when driving at high speed in an
emergency.


Regards,
Peter.
http://www.bandwidth.radiouk.com/
http://www.citizensband.radiouk.com/

* Brits who remember the 1970s will get this side-swipe at
the chocolate adverts. A TV advert showed truckers as
good looking, chocolate munching (yet not overweight) knights
of the road. Women of the day really believed this image,
blissfully unaware that truckers only ever let lady drivers pass
so that they ogle them and stare at their knockers - saving the
trucker the price of paying a pavement princess for a quick peek.
(A later campaign made it clear that this chocolate was "not
for girls", even printing the slogan on the wrappers - for which
they got in trouble.)